JURUPA VALLEY (CNS) – The man accused of shooting a Riverside County
sheriff’s deputy is dead today after a confrontation with law enforcement
officers and a lengthy chase that ended in Norco, leading to a freeway closure.
Deputy Isaiah Cordero, 32, was fatally shot by a convicted felon
during a traffic stop in Jurupa Valley on Thursday shortly before 2 p.m. in the
3900 block of Golden West Avenue, near Rathke Drive, less than a block from
Rustic Lane Elementary School, and the gunman was killed by police officers two
hours later, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.
“He certainly embodied our motto, ‘Service Above Self,'” Sheriff
Chad Bianco said about Cordero during a briefing at sheriff’s headquarters in
downtown Riverside Thursday night. “He was a jokester around the station, and
all of our deputies considered him to be a little brother.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom has ordered state flags to be flown at half-staff in
Cordero’s honor.
“Jennifer and I extend our deepest sympathies to Deputy Isaiah
Cordero’s family, friends and colleagues during this difficult time. He served
his community selflessly, and with dedication and courage. We owe him our
respect, gratitude, and will remember his sacrifice.”
The Riverside Sheriff’s Association also shared its condolences for
Cordero.
“We are devastated by the grief of losing Deputy Isaiah Cordero, a
deputy who was a ray of sunshine in the Riverside Sheriff’s Department, a
person who was dedicated to protecting others,” the statement said. “Once
again, we face a tragic reminder of the selflessness and unwavering courage
required of peace officers and their families.”
Bianco said Cordero, a motorcycle patrolman, stopped 44-year-old
William Shae McKay of San Bernardino, a three-strike felon, for reasons still
under investigation but possibly related to irregularities with the black
pickup he was driving.
“As (Cordero) approached the vehicle, the suspect produced a
(handgun) and shot the deputy,” the sheriff told reporters. “A community
member witnessed it and called 911. Residents tried to help the deputy until
paramedics arrived.”
Although life-saving measures were attempted and Cordero was taken to
Riverside Community Hospital, Bianco said the gunshot wound killed the deputy
on the spot.
According to Bianco, because of the witness, responding sheriff’s
deputies were able to quickly broadcast a region-wide alert, providing key
details regarding the vehicle and driver.
“Law enforcement agencies in San Bernardino and Riverside counties
began a massive manhunt,” he said. “We were looking for that vehicle and
located it very quickly. The suspect was located in San Bernardino, and there
was a pursuit, which came back into Riverside County.”
The county’s top lawman said that during the multi-agency chase, a
spike strip was deployed on the Pomona (60) Freeway at Valley Way, and McKay
ran over it, blowing out the pickup’s two rear tires. However, the vehicle
remained drivable, and the felon continued on, ultimately turning south on
Interstate 15 in Eastvale, with a phalanx of law enforcement officers closely
behind.
The chase came to an end on southbound I-15 at Fourth Street in Norco.
“The vehicle became disabled, and he had an accident,” Bianco said.
“The (rear) tires came off, and eventually that caused the axle to fail. He
shot across the freeway and (crashed) …. The suspect started shooting at
deputies, which prompted them to shoot back.”
McKay was fatally wounded during the exchange, Bianco said. No other
deputies were injured.
According to the sheriff, McKay’s criminal history included
convictions for kidnapping, assault on a California Highway Patrol canine and
armed robbery.
“This tragedy should have been (prevented) by the criminal justice
system,” Bianco said. “This suspect was on his third strike in 2021. But
instead of receiving a sentence of 25 years to life in state prison, a judge
lowered his bail. He failed to appear for sentencing … and the same judge
released him again. We would not be here today if this judge had done her
job.”
San Bernardino County Superior Court documents show that the judge was
Cara D. Hutson, out of the Rancho Cucamonga branch. She was re-elected to
the bench in June and has been a judicial officer since 2007.
“(McKay) should have been immediately sentenced. The judge allowed
him out, and here we are today,” Bianco said.
Assemblyman Bill Essayli, R-Corona, vowed to pursue changes to state
laws that may have indirectly led to Cordero’s death.
“Words cannot describe my outrage following today’s tragic deadly
shooting of Riverside County Sheriff’s Deputy Isaiah Cordero,” Essayli said.
“We must do more than mourn; we must take an honest look at how our laws, and
their enforcement, led to today’s tragedy. What makes this line of duty death
beyond tragic is that it was completely avoidable: the perpetrator was on his
third felony strike as of 2021, but instead of 25 years-to-life in prison, a
San Bernardino judge had the discretion to give this career criminal a reduced
bail and released him on our streets.”
“I am committed to fixing our laws so violent career criminals like
the one who murdered Deputy Cordero are not allowed back on our streets to
terrorize our communities.”
Bianco extended his “sincerest condolences” to Cordero’s mother,
father and stepbrother, by whom he is survived. The fallen deputy was not
married but was in a relationship, the sheriff said.
“There’s nothing worse than losing a life in a senseless manner while
serving the community,” Bianco said. “Anyone who targets law enforcement
in our county will be dealt with, by swift action.”
Funeral arrangements for Cordero were pending.
Southbound I-15 was completely shut down at Sixth Street in Norco,
where motorists were detoured, while the scene where McKay was killed was
processed. A miles-long traffic jam ensued, stretching all the way back into
San Bernardino.
Cordero’s remains were borne from Riverside Community Hospital south
to the coroner’s bureau in Perris for an official autopsy and cause of death
ruling.
The transfer was solemnized by an extensive procession of law
enforcement including sheriff’s deputies, CHP officers, police from the
Riverside, Menifee, and Corona departments, as well as personnel from agencies
outside Riverside County.
County fire engines and trucks parked on overpasses, and crews saluted
as the hearse carrying the fallen deputy headed south along Interstate 215.
The CHP ran traffic breaks to clear motorists out of the way of the procession,
which coursed along the freeway and surface streets for an hour as part of the
tribute.
Rustic Lane Elementary School is on winter break, and no classes were
in session at the time of the shooting. Copyright 2022, City News Service, Inc.
